Ravanne Tinsay just dove headfirst into the sports journalism world, officially joining The Desert Sun as their fall sports intern on September 8th, 2026. This isn’t just some casual gig, either. Tinsay, currently a sophomore at College of the Desert, is set to provide stories, video, and social media interaction for the sports team all the way until mid-December, thanks to a grant-funded position from the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
From Casual Interest to “That’s Mine!”
You gotta love a story like this: Tinsay actually started her journey with only a casual interest in sports. Back when she was a junior at Shadow Hills High, she joined the school newspaper, the Knight Times, mostly to meet new people. Despite playing JV softball, sports coverage wasn’t her initial passion. But that all changed super fast. It took just a couple games of watching athletes compete, coaches lead, and then interviewing them afterward, and boom! She was hooked. Tinsay herself put it best, “I wasn’t expecting to love it, but once I got a taste of it I was like ‘I want to do more.’” And she wasn’t kidding. The very next year, as a senior, she saw the sports editor job open up and declared, “That’s mine.” She got it! That kind of ambition? That’s what you want to see.
Leveling Up and Chasing the Big Game
Now, Tinsay, whose first name is pronounced like “raven,” is absolutely “doing more.” This intern position at The Desert Sun is a huge jump for her, and she’s ready for it. What gets her most hyped? The chance to simply level up her craft and chronicle sports at a “higher level.” While she’ll still cover a lot of high school action, she’s pumped to experience pro tennis, Firebirds hockey, and college basketball. We’re talking next-level stuff. She grew up knowing hockey best, aside from softball, so that Firebirds gig has gotta be extra special. This whole opportunity was generously sponsored by Nancy Cunningham, honoring her late father Tommy Devine, a noted sports journalist himself. Cunningham said her father would be “very proud to know we were helping an aspiring sports journalist achieve their goals.” Tinsay’s got two simple goals for her internship: learn as much as possible, and, yeah, have some fun too. She’s already off to a flying start!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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